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Chocolate Cake and Chaos

Barker is still on leave when a funeral wreath was left on his doorstep. He reaches out to a friend on the force to look into it. However, when a body of a man who looks similar to Barker is found the next day, Julia’s worst fears are confirmed. Since Barker is still on suspension, Julia must work harder as neither of them can get any information from the police.

I really enjoyed this story, it wasn’t as straightforward as you would expect. Though I probably should have seen it coming because the story was really focused on making one of the characters the bad guy. I will be honest, I didn’t see the twist coming until Julia did which is really rare for me. I’m not sure if it was because I wasn’t paying attention, or it was just really well written.

This book did give a lot more background to Barker then we had before. We learnt a lot about his past and everything that happened before he came to Peridale. Since they get to spend so much time together, we really get to see Barker and Julia’s relationship grow. It was nice to see them working to see them working together on the case.

Peridale also expanded with the addition of the Ferne Moore Estate and the people that live there. We got to find out more about the kids who are always getting in trouble and their lives.

I really enjoyed this book.

Dot managed to win a trip for the family together to have some bonding time. However, just the day after they arrive, the owner of the castle that they are staying in, is shot to death. Now, in another country, Julia is stuck in the middle of another murder investigation. Meanwhile, her grandmother and sister are pestering her to relax and enjoy the trip.

Though the mystery was interesting, it was a little hard to follow. There was actually 3 stories going on and they were all intertwined. Though once an important tidbit of information was given you can figure out who the murderer is. However, with so many storylines going through the book, it gets really muddled. I did figure it out a little before Julia, or where I assumed Julia figured it out.

We actually learnt a lot about the characters in this book. You get a really good background to the castle’s staff. We got to learn more about Sue in this book before she was just this character that existed in the book series but didn’t have any good background. I normally really enjoy Dot, however, in this book I really disliked her in this book. Dot was just so annoying and I really want her to go back to normal. We don’t really get to see Barker and Jessie in this book, however, I really do enjoy how close Barker and Jessie had become. It seems like Julia’s little family is coming together.

I really enjoyed this book.

When a big box coffee shop has opened up in Peridale and it’s causing strain on Julia’s business. However, when Julia finds the owner dead in the middle of the night, all fingers point towards Julia. Barker can’t even help Julia out with this case, as it’s not his course, as he is too close to the prime suspect. Now Julia will need to work hard to clear her name.

It was a really interesting mystery that wasn’t completely straightforward. It was, however, very interesting. If you don’t pay attention it could be very confusing, similar to the last book. It was interesting how Julia worked the case without Barker as she doesn’t want to get him in trouble again.

This book was filled with character development and character building. Brian actually comes into play in this book as the murder victim is his old business partner. We get to see him actually trying to show Julia that he does actually care and love her. We met Jerrad after hearing so much about him in the previous book. I don’t really get Barker’s reaction to Jerrad’s appearance after all the information that Julia has told him over the few months. Sue is in this book again and we get to see the insecurities that she has when it comes to Katie and her father. Though we could say she is just being over emotional, however, it was obvious in the previous books as well.

I really enjoyed the book, and it is a great continuation of the series.